


revisionary paint-based projectiles

by Rustyanklebraclet



Series: Community episode rewrites [2]
Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode Related, Episode: s01e23 Modern Warfare, First Kiss, Fix-It, Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:21:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24410476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rustyanklebraclet/pseuds/Rustyanklebraclet
Summary: In which troy stays in the game a little longer, and it pays off.
Relationships: Troy Barnes/Abed Nadir
Series: Community episode rewrites [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1772773
Comments: 28
Kudos: 395





	revisionary paint-based projectiles

**Author's Note:**

> this takes place during the second half of 01.23 as if troy wasn't shot in the scene with the glee club. everything else until that point is the same.

“What are you guys gonna do if you win priority registration?” asks Shirley, hands held in front of the fire.

Troy thinks this over, trying to decide. The only thing that he can come up with is to match his schedule with Abed’s as much as possible, but he’s not sure he would be able to.

He turns to Abed, who is deep in thought as the flames cast an orange glow on his face. After a moment, he seems to notice Troy is staring and turns to him. Troy smiles, slightly, and Abed returns it with a soft grin of his own. The gentle crackle of the fire and faint sounds of gunfire rush in Troy's ears as his eyes train on Abed’s lips.

“I’ll make my schedule airtight,” says Jeff, causing Troy and Abed to snap out of it and turn to him “maybe get out of here in three years instead of four”

“I’d take any class with no tests, and no papers,” says Britta, hugging herself and staring into the flames.

Troy nods, relishing in the idea of never having to spend another long night of cramming again. “I would too.”

“I would choose all morning classes. Get home early so I could spend time with my boys,” says Shirley. Her voice shakes “It’s hard, being away from them so much.”

They’re all quiet for a moment, considering this, before Britta speaks.

“You know what? I say that if any of us win the prize, we give it to Shirley as a mother’s day gift.”

“Absolutely,” says Abed, as he and Troy nod. Shirley turns to them with a smile, and Troy, who sits between her and Abed, allows her to gently grip his forearm.

“What?” says Jeff, in an affronted tone, “Guys, you don’t have to do that.”

Abed, Troy, and Shirley share a look as the two of them bicker.

“Lord as my witness-” says Shirley, mumbling absent threats as she shakes her head.

“Wanna raid the vending machine Pierce and star-burns broke?” Troy asks Abed.

Abed nods, and the two of them stand.

“Shirley, you want anything?”

Shirley shakes her head, turning back to Jeff and Britta as they continue to argue.

Troy and Abed walk silently to the row of vending machines, not wanting to get distracted. They reach the machine, and Troy reaches in, grabbing snacks as Abed stands vigilant, gun drawn. There’s a cackle from somewhere in the cafeteria, and a mocking sing-song voice rings out.

“Study group! Come out and play!”

Troy and Abed look at each other, and Troy drops the armful of snacks as they jump behind an overturned sofa in the corner of the room.

They’re lying side by side, shoulders and legs pressed close together in the confined space as they listen to the shots being fired in the main hall of the cafeteria.

“Shouldn’t we go… help them?” Troy asks, not daring to allow his voice to go above a whisper. He turns to look at Abed, who shakes his head, not returning his gaze.

“We’ll most likely only end up getting ourselves shot. Best to wait here.”

Troy nods as he faces the ceiling again. He feels Abed turn his head.

“Are you really going to give Shirley the prize if you win?”

Troy feels Abed's breath hot on his neck as he speaks and pointedly ignores the stirring in his stomach.

“Yeah, probably. It would be nice to have for myself, but I don’t have any actual need for it like she does.”

“Same.”

There’s another moment of silence, and the gunfire starts to slow down. Troy can hear the ambushers calling to each other to fall back, and he and Abed share a look before slowly standing from their hiding place. They stay flush with the wall, Troy behind Abed as he peers out at the cafeteria. He turns back to Troy and nods for him to follow as they walk back to the fire

“What happened?” Troy asks, as they approach Jeff, Britta, and Shirley. Britta is helping Shirley up, and Jeff has his arms crossed over his torso as he watches them.

“Disco freaks.” Jeff grunts “they got Shirley, but Britta and I are fine.”

Troy and Abed move to take Britta's place, and Shirley smiles at both of them.

“Shirley, I'm gonna win you that prize,” says Britta, as Shirley moves to walk away on her own “we all are.”

“That’s nice!” calls Shirley, as she leaves.

“I’m not,” says Jeff, glaring ever so slightly at Britta.

“That’s… less nice.”

Everything is quiet for a moment as everyone takes stock of their ammo, when Britta speaks.

“Holy crap, Jeff,” everyone looks up in alarm as she points to his torso “you got shot!”

Jeff looks down at his shirt, examining the reddish blotch standing out against the white of his undershirt.

“What?” he stares down at it, and then lifts his shirt to reveal a minor wound “oh, thank god. It’s just blood.”

“Blood?” asks Britta, frowning at him.

“Yeah,” says Jeff, “anyone know where to find a first aid kit?”

“There’s one in the library,” Abed supplies.

“Do you think we’ll make it there?” asks Troy “no offence, Jeff, but I’m not getting shot so you can get a band-aid.”

“We should be fine,” says Britta “Just stay alert.”

They walk through the hallways of Greendale quietly, guns drawn. They’re nearly at the library when from down the hall, the faint sound of roller skates on linoleum can be heard.

The group exchanges worried looks.

“Goddamn disco freaks,” Jeff whispers, moments before the hallway is filled with gunfire as a guy with an orange jumpsuit and an afro appears at the other end. They shoot back, but they're low on ammo, and the guy is moving around the end of the hallway like a pinball.

“Guys, just run!” Britta calls, and she and Jeff take off in the direction of the library. Troy, however, spots something out of the corner of his eye and grabs Abed's arm, pulling him into a utility closet, slamming the door shut behind him.

They stand completely still, panting in the dark room as they hear the gunfire, and the whir of the skates, move down the hall.

“I hope they’re alright,” says Abed.

“They’ll be fine,” says Troy “besides, there's no reason for all four of us to go if Britta's just gonna patch up Jeff.”

Troy fumbles for a lightswitch, and flicks it on as Abed pulls his goggles on to his forehead.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Abed asks.

“That they’re totally gonna bang?”

Abed laughs, quietly, and Troy grins. The serious tone is back after a moment, though, when they hear the faint sounds of gunfire from outside. Troy reaches for his gun, and his elbow knocks Abed's as he does the same.

“We can’t hide in here forever, you know.” says Abed, quietly.

“Yeah, I know. What should we do?”

“I think we have to look for stragglers. See if we’re the last two standing,” Abed presses his mouth into a deep line, placing his hand on the door handle.

The implications of the statement are left unsaid as they creep into the hallway, but they hang thickly in the air.

_One of us is going to have to shoot the other._

Theoretically, it doesn’t matter who wins, because they’re both going to give the prize to Shirley. But having to decide who lives and who dies is not a conversation Troy wants to have with Abed, even if neither of them is _actually_ going to die.

Abed is a few feet ahead of Troy as they both patrol the halls of Greendale, but he stops dead and looks at Troy with wide eyes. 

To Troy's horror, he lifts his gun, and aims it in Troy's direction.

“Abed, what are you-” he cuts himself off as he realizes that Abed’s gun is pointed just to the left of Troy's head.

“Stay back,” says Abed, voice low and dangerous.

Troy turns around to see the same guy from earlier, the one that had tried to ambush them. He pulls his gun and aims it at the guy as well.

“Why should I?” the guy asks.

“Abed, what are we waiting for?” asks Troy. 

He pulls the trigger on his gun, and it emits a feeble _click_. He’s out of ammo.

Abed turns his head, now, giving Troy a look of horror. During the momentary distraction, disco-guy takes his chance, and skates over, grabbing Troy by his neck and holding him still as he points his gun at his head. Abed aims at the guy.

“Why are you protecting him?” he asks “you could leave now, get a head start. There’s no room for alliances anymore.”

“Bullshit,” says Abed, and he fires his gun straight at the guy’s head.

Disco, however, senses what's coming, and shoots Troy in the shoulder.

“You guys are lame,” he says, tossing his gun to the floor and skating off.

Abed moves toward Troy.

“I’m sorry it had to be like this,” he says

“Me too,” Troy says, looking up at Abed “but I'm sort of glad one of us doesn’t have to shoot the other.”

Abed nods.

“Also, uh,” Troy begins, “Pierce was my ride and is long gone.”

“Do you want to stay in my dorm?”

Troy nods. “Yes please.”

Abed shrugs. “Sure.”

Troy grins, and Abed pulls his key from his pocket.

“Now go win this,” says Troy, clapping him on the arm “for Shirley and her boys. And everyone else.”

Abed nods. He turns, walks about halfway down the hall before a random stroke of adrenaline (more a random stroke of stupidity, really) surges through Troy, and he calls out to him.

“Abed?”

Abed turns, cocks his head, and doesn’t move as he looks back at him.

“Yeah?”

Troy takes several long strides over to Abed, who is still looking at him questioningly, places a hand on the back of his neck, and crashes their lips together.

The kiss lasts maybe a couple of seconds before it occurs to Troy that while Abed hasn't pulled away, he isn’t exactly responding. He moves back incrementally, intending to break the kiss and apologize. But Abed makes a small noise in the back of his throat that borders on a _whine_ and pushes into the space Troy intends to leave. Troy moves his jaw, fingers on the back of Abed’s neck curling into a short lock of hair that rests there. Abed makes the noise again, and Troy decides it's the only thing he ever wants to hear again.

They pull apart fully this time, foreheads pressed together and Troy's hand still on the back of Abed’s neck.

“I’ve wanted to do that for so long,” says Troy, and Abed nods in agreement.

Troy reaches back up and kisses Abed again, hungrily, and Abed returns it. But Troy pulls away after a moment, steps fully back, sizing Abed up and down.

“I’m serious. Go win this shit.”

Abed gives him a long look before he nods and stoops down to quickly press a chaste kiss to the corner of Troy's mouth.

“I’ll see you in my dorm?” he asks, snapping his goggles over his eyes.

Troy nods, and Abed shoots him a grin before disappearing around the corner.

He stands there for another moment, fingers ghosting over his lips dazedly, before turning and walking over to the dorms.

On his way there he runs into Jeff, looking haggard and carrying what appears to be a hot pink zebra print machine gun.

“Troy,” he says “hey, we were wondering where you guys went, but we figured you got shot.”

“I did,” he says, “Abed didn’t, though.”

Jeff nods, looking around.

“You got a plan?” Troy asks.

“Right now? Go find out whether the dean is lying about the prize or if Chang is just a moron. After that? Not sure.”

Troy nods. “Where’s Britta?”

“Study room. Chang strapped a bomb to his chest.”

Troy raises his eyebrows in alarm, and Jeff waves his hand dismissively.

“Long story. She’s fine.” Jeff's eyes dart around nervously “Look, man, I'd love to chat, but I really need to win this.”

Troy nods.

“Good luck, man.”

Jeff nods, distractedly. He disappears down the hallway, and Troy heads off to Abed's dorm.

In the end, Abed gets shot by a guy hiding in a vent. He comes back to the dorm, and Troy tells him it’s still cool that he made it that far. 

They take turns showering. Troy borrows a t-shirt and sweatpants of Abed’s, and they put on Kickpuncher while they kiss until their mouths are sore.

Later, they’re laying in Abed’s bunk. Troy’s head rests on Abed’s chest, and he’s nearly asleep when Abed speaks.

“Did you mean it?” he says, voice barely loud enough to be called a whisper “about wanting to do this for a long time?”

Troy frowns momentarily, unsure in his sleepy haze what Abed is referring to.but when he remembers, he lifts his head to properly look at him.

“Yeah,” he says “of course.“

He makes out a nod in the dark, as he’s gently coaxed into laying back down on Abed’s chest. He finds Abed’s hand on the bed, and laces their fingers together, bringing their intertwined hands to his mouth and pressing a gentle kiss to the back of Abed’s hand. He feels Abed nestle his nose into Troy's hair, and drifts off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> come talk to me on [Tumblr](https://readandwritesilver.tumblr.com/) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/HOMINGPIGE0N) if you want
> 
> As always, any and all feedback is appreciated :)
> 
> Much love, Clover <3


End file.
